This invention relates to a monolithic semiconductor structure diode optical switching array, and, more particularly, to a multiple element semiconductor structure diode optical switching array with passive waveguides with wide bandgaps and weak optical confinement for improved coupling to amplification waveguides.
Multiple electrode optical switches are of interest for routing signals in optical communication systems, for line-printing elements in advanced xerographic printers, and potentially as modulators for high-speed coding of information.
Optical switching arrays route light beams on different paths, usually without adding any information to the beams. Optical modulating arrays add information to the light beams but do not change the routing of those beams.
It is an object of this invention to provide an optical modulating element with optical gain.
It is another object of this invention to use arrays of optically amplifying waveguides as blocking optical switches for routing one or more input beams to one or more selected optical channels.
It is yet another object of this invention to use arrays of optically amplifying modulators as pixel elements in a multi-electrode printbar.
It is a further object of this invention to integrate optically amplifying modulator arrays with beam splitting elements within a monolithic semiconductor structure to route one or more input optical beams to one or more selected optical channels.